Even before the ascension to public consciousness of a right-wing libertarian named Rand, Ayn Rand has been a hot topic of conversation. From threats from the right to "Go Galt" after Rand's Atlas Shrugged hero to the downfall of Alan Greenspan, the fingerprints of the novelist/philosopher/heroine of freemarketeers everywhere have been all over the last couple of years in U.S. politics. Just what was it about Ayn Rand that attracted so many followers, and what is it about her books that keeps them flying off the shelves?

Not long ago on GRITtv, Katrina vanden Heuvel, editor of The Nation, recalled an example of Republican leadership very different from what we mostly see today. In the era of Glenn Beck and Karl Rove, would we ever see someone like Senator Margaret Chase Smith from Maine, who spoke out against Joseph McCarthy's Communist-hunts? We bring you part of that conversation with Katrina, and actress Lola Pasholinsky reads a portion of Smith's Call to Conscience, from June 1, 1950 on the Senate floor.

Even before the ascension to public consciousness of a right-wing libertarian named Rand, Ayn Rand has been a hot topic of conversation. From threats from the right to "Go Galt" after Rand's Atlas Shrugged hero to the downfall of Alan Greenspan, the fingerprints of the novelist/philosopher/heroine of freemarketeers everywhere have been all over the last couple of years in U.S. politics. Just what was it about Ayn Rand that attracted so many followers, and what is it about her books that keeps them flying off the shelves?

The ongoing disaster in the Gulf, millions of barrels of oil now reaching shores and killing wildlife, might seem to have little in common with the struggle for comprehensive immigration reform. But one of the threads that connects the two is misleading media coverage. BP was able to control and spin their coverage, perhaps aided by their liberal advertising budgets, and meanwhile discussions of immigration and racial issues in general are constantly framed as a debate over whether racism is involved.

While our attention has been focused on the oil continuing to coat the Gulf Coast, we haven't forgotten about Haiti, struggling to rebuild after the horrific earthquake earlier this year. The music community hasn't forgotten either, and so we're bringing you this video, a performance of "I Put a Spell On You" pulled together by Shane McGowan of the Pogues and featuring, among others, Nick Cave, Chrissie Hynde, and Johnny Depp.

The BP oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico has now, according to new estimates, become the nation's biggest oil spill in history. Yet instead of deploying help to the Gulf, President Obama is sending troops to the U.S./Mexico border. As Maya Wiley of the Center for Social Inclusion notes, it's an election year, and that means it's pandering time.

The BP oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico has now, according to new estimates, become the nation's biggest oil spill in history. Yet instead of deploying help to the Gulf, President Obama is sending troops to the U.S./Mexico border. As Maya Wiley of the Center for Social Inclusion notes, it's an election year, and that means it's pandering time.

There may be little that President Obama can do down at the Gulf Coast to help with the plugging and cleanup of the oil still spreading. But there's plenty that he could do in Washington, and whether he does it or not will determine the future.

Laura appeared on the Ed Show on MSNBC this week to discuss John McCain, Republican fear of Islam, and more.

Debt has a tendency to snowball, getting bigger and bigger and leaving people less and less likely to be able to pay it off. While big banks and corporations get bailed out by the government as "too big to fail," small debtors like Vicki Valentine, who missed one deadline to pay off sewer and water charges and suddenly found herself in a mass of debt that led to a tax lien and foreclosure.